TAMPA, Fla. and BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The United Soccer League announced today Brooklyn Football Club will debut in the USL Championship in 2025, pending sanctioning approval by U.S. Soccer.

The USL Championship is the top level of the United Soccer League’s men’s soccer pathway, featuring 24 teams in 2024, and is sanctioned as a Division II league by U.S. Soccer. In June 2023, the USL awarded New York-based North Sixth Group a USL League One franchise in Brooklyn, and most recently, a USL Super League franchise, which received Division One sanctioning by USSF.

The club will play at Maimonides Park in Coney Island and is set to first kickoff this August in the inaugural season of the USL Super League, followed by the 2025 USL Championship in March.

“Brooklyn is a globally recognized community with both a rich soccer history and cultural demographics that make it a tremendous community for professional soccer,” said Jeremy Alumbaugh, President of the USL Championship. “We would like to welcome Brooklyn Football Club to the USL Championship and look forward to their effort in bringing a world-class professional football experience to the millions of soccer fans that call Brooklyn home.”

“We believe in the potential of professional soccer in the United States and feel that no market captures the beauty, diversity and passion of the Beautiful Game quite like Brooklyn,” said Matt Rizzetta, Chairman of North Sixth Group, the principal owner and operator of Brooklyn Football Club. “We are thrilled to be partnering with the USL to bring to life the vision for Brooklyn Football Club, which will be one of the first sports franchises in the United States to have professional men’s and women’s teams competing at the highest levels under one unified platform.”

“The move into USL Championship along with the recent announcement of our women’s franchise showcases our commitment to bringing a fresh, new vision for professional soccer to the borough of Brooklyn,” said Mack Mansfield, CEO of Brooklyn Football Club. “We are excited to compete at the highest levels in the USL system and believe the sporting staff, players and personnel we are recruiting will be a testament to our professionalism and will make our supporters extremely proud.”